A mysterious sound deep in the Arctic seems to be causing sea animals to flee

A fishing boat is seen near the arctic community of Pond Inlet, Nunavut August 23, 2014. Picture taken August 23, 2014.
REUTERS/Chris Wattie

Anyone considering fleeing to Canada after the election may want to ask if the animals know something we don't.

This past summer, hunters and boaters have heard a mysterious pinging or humming sound coming from the sea floor through the Arctic waters of the Fury and Hecla Strait, located in Nunavut, the northernmost and least populated province of Canada, according to a report in CBC News. And whatever the sound is, it seems to be scaring animals away.

"That passage is a migratory route for bowhead whales, and also bearded seals and ringed seals. There would [normally] be so many in that particular area," local legislative assembly member George Qulaut told CBC.

Only this summer, there were none, said Qulat.

Local Inuit rely on hunting in the area, so the sudden disappearance of marine life is both noticeable and disturbing.

Though there was a local rumor that the conservation organization Greenpeace might have placed sonar to scare off marine life, the group told the CBC it had no involvement. There is no known work going on in the region that could explain the sound, either. The Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation told the CBC that they have no equipment in the water. The Canadian military is reportedly investigating the mysterious sound as well, according to a statement provided to the CBC.